Oglethorpe County, Georgia
Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,899. The county seat is Lexington. Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area. It is the largest county in Northeast Georgia. History Oglethorpe County was originally part of a large tract of land surrendered by Creek and Cherokee Native Americans to the Colony of Georgia in the treaty of 1773. The county itself was founded on December 19, 1793, and is named for Georgia's founder, General James Oglethorpe. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. The majority of Oglethorpe County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A narrow western portion of the county, in a line from just north of Woodville, through Crawford, to just south of Winterville, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small part of the southern portion of the county, from Maxeys east, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. Major highways * U.S. Route 78 * State Route 10 * State Route 22 * State Route 77 River *Broad River Adjacent counties *Elbert (northeast) *Wilkes (east) *Taliaferro (southeast) *Greene (south) *Oconee (west) *Clarke (west) *Madison (north) National protected area * Oconee National Forest (part) * Watson Mill Bridge State Park (part) Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 12,635 people, 4,849 households, and 3,539 families residing in the county. The population density was 11/km² (29/mi²). There were 5,368 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (12/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.29% White, 19.75% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,849 households out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 23.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,578, and the median income for a family was $41,443. Males had a median income of $30,733 versus $22,289 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,089. About 10.00% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,899 people, 5,647 households, and 4,070 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,484 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 78.3% white, 17.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were American, 12.3% were Irish, 9.9% were German, and 8.2% were English. Of the 5,647 households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.9% were non-families, and 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 40.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,319 and the median income for a family was $52,955. Males had a median income of $35,966 versus $27,474 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,572. About 11.6% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over. Education Recreation *White Water Rafting on the Broad and South Fork Broad Rivers *ATV and Motor Bike Park *Sportsman Hunting: Seasonal Whitetail Deer, Turkey and Rabbit Historic Districts and Heritage Research, Antique Stores in Historic Lexington, Agriculture and Agritourism as well as Oglethorpe Fresh Produce In 2016, the Oglethorpe County Recreation Department was named both the District 7 and State Agency of the Year for populations under 20,000 through the Georgia Recreation and Park Association. Communities *Arnoldsville *Crawford *Lexington *Maxeys *Palmetto *Stephens *Vesta *Wolfskin Historical Communities *Bowling Green Notable people *William H. Crawford (1772–1834) - U.S. Minister to France, U.S. Secretary of War, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury *George R. Gilmer (1790–1859) - Twice Governor *Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) - leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition *Wilson Lumpkin (1783–1870) - Governor *Joseph H. Lumpkin (1799–1867) First Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and co-founder of the Lumpkin Law School *George Mathews (1739–1812) - Revolutionary hero and twice Governor *Kenny Rogers - Country music performer Politics See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Oglethorpe County, Georgia References External links *Oglethorpe County official website *Watson Mill Covered Bridge State Park Category:Counties of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Oglethorpe County, Georgia Category:Athens – Clarke County metropolitan area Category:1795 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Settlements established in 1795